Well I dont use many books, i prefer videos.. get more of an idea how the hand goes. but try to write the scales notes out and then picks chords from them... example if i used E minor I could make a very generic song with E minor, D, G

anyway, go to your local Guitar Center or equivalent and ask the people there what they would suggest, or maybe even take a lesson or two hell, you can even ask any musically knowledgeable friends that you have about scales and such, you'd be surprised what some people know

Do you understand the major scale? I mean really understand how its constructed in terms of notes and intervals? If not - learn that, then learn to harmonise the major scale by stcking 3rds. That will teach you the basics of chord construction as well as what chords fit with the scale.

Then look at the relationship between the major scale and the natural minor scale, and you'll realsie you can harmonise the minor scale as well.

That way, you can come up with your own chord progressions for any major or minor scale. Plus, the major pentatonic will fit over anything the major scale will fit over, and the minor pentatonic will fit over anything the minor scale will fit over (Note - this doesn't work in reverse, you can't automatically assume you can use the major scale over a progression that teh major pentatonic fits over)

Check out the music theory FAQ sticky

In the meantime, go for a 12 bar blues and pentatonics with the odd blue note thrown in